BTTH : From the beginning of the battle to the top -MTL

The Life-Devouring Pill is a miraculous pill that shocked the entire continent many years ago and can be considered a peak-level seventh-grade pill. The creator of this pill is also a renowned master alchemist.

Once this miraculous pill is used, it can elevate the user from the Great Fighter level to the Dou Wang realm, but at the cost of the user's lifespan being limited to just three years.

For Lin Yuan, after obtaining this Life-Devouring Pill by chance, he immediately revised his subsequent plans and formulated a new strategy centered around the Life-Devouring Pill.

Lin Yuan, benefiting from the knowledge of his past life, possesses highly valuable information about the future trends of the Dou Qi continent. However, without a strong background and being relatively weak, it is difficult for him to utilize this information to maximize his benefits. In this world, where the strong dominate, the weak have no voice.

In this world, the strong can take the wealth and even the lives of the weak without needing much reason. Lin Yuan's own vigilance towards people and the world does not allow him to expose his greatest secret.

He determined a relatively accurate timeline through a series of information from Hu Jia, Xiao Yu, and the enrollment plans of the Jia Nan Academy, deducing that he is of a similar age to Xiao Yan.

He wanted to intercept various opportunities from Xiao Yan in Wu Tan City, but he denied that possibility. Yao Lao is Xiao Yan's greatest opportunity, not only providing him with the foundation for becoming an emperor, the "Burning Decision," but also offering all the elements necessary for Xiao Yan's growth, serving as his protector during the early to mid-stages of his journey.

Yao Lao's presence allows Xiao Yan to participate in the top-level games of the Jia Ma Empire even during his Fighter and Great Fighter stages, as he is essentially engaging in these games with the top combat power of the Jia Ma Empire. Even the Monster Beast Forest, a place that could lead to the demise of a Dou Ling, is like a playground for Xiao Yan. This is the foundation for Xiao Yan to gain numerous opportunities early on.

Being of a similar age to Xiao Yan, the existence of Xiao Xun'er, and the uncertainty of Yao Lao's awakening time made Lin Yuan lose the possibility of seizing this greatest opportunity.

Originally, Lin Yuan planned to befriend Xiao Yan at the right moment through suitable information, following a path similar to that of Hai Bodong, to ride on Xiao Yan's coattails.

However, later, during his training in the Law Enforcement Team, he nearly fell into a deadlock and realized the naivety of his thoughts. The Dou Qi continent has countless events and coincidences beyond those recorded in books that could put him in peril. The aftermath of battles between the strong is a disaster for the weak.

No matter how strong others are, they are still others. What he should do is to strengthen himself as much as possible, to face all challenges with strength, rather than relying on others.

Thus, when Lin Yuan obtained the Life-Devouring Pill, he decided he would definitely use it, as this pill is his current reliance for seizing opportunities. With it, Lin Yuan can transform the information in his mind into resources for his own growth.

Now the time has come; in just over a year, it will be the enrollment period for Jia Nan Academy, and also the time when Xiao Yan leaves his family to train. Before that, Lin Yuan needs to lay the groundwork in the Jia Ma Empire.

After checking that the Life-Devouring Pill was intact, Lin Yuan put it back into his storage ring, sat on the meditation mat he usually practiced on, and began to change his cultivation method, forming hand seals to prepare to convert his technique to the "Spirit Flame Technique."

Three days later, in Lin Yuan's courtyard.

A powerful Dou Qi erupted from Lin Yuan, who had his eyes closed, and then quickly retracted. As the Dou Qi was retracted, Lin Yuan's aura became even stronger. At a certain moment, accompanied by a faint sound resembling a shattering, Lin Yuan's aura stabilized completely.

After a moment, Lin Yuan opened his eyes, revealing a hint of satisfaction.

"The Spirit Flame Technique is indeed one of the top techniques among high-level Xuan-tier techniques. Now, my Dou Qi's quality and quantity have surpassed that of using a mid-level Xuan-tier technique by quite a bit. Moreover, converting a low-level technique to a high-level technique has indeed brought many benefits; this conversion has actually increased my strength by one star, making me a two-star Great Fighter."

Lin Yuan raised his right hand, circulating his Dou Qi, and a blue flame formed in his palm. The blue flame split into four, transforming into four small, agile fire beasts resembling a tiger, a leopard, a dragon, and a phoenix. The four fire beasts moved as if they were alive, and then Lin Yuan used his powerful soul force and spiral technique to control the four fire beasts, gathering them into a high-speed rotating fire cone.

"Pill Fire Technique—Flying Star."

With a light laugh from the youth, the fire cone shot into the sky at high speed, leaving a white streak in the air, and then exploded in the night sky like fireworks.

"With the assistance of the Spirit Flame Technique, my control over fire has indeed improved significantly. Finally, the idea of integrating the spiral technique into the Pill Fire Technique has been completed." Lin Yuan reflected on the insights from his recent experiment, organizing his thoughts while continuing to devise ways to further improve this technique.

The next day, Lin Yuan, carrying a written note, headed towards the Alchemy Department.

Upon arriving at the Alchemy Department, Lin Yuan successfully met Elder Huo, who was instructing Lu Mu. Elder Huo, upon seeing Lin Yuan, swept his soul power over him and said with satisfaction, "Two-star Great Fighter, well done! Your Dou Qi is well refined; you won't feel exhausted when refining fourth-grade pills like before!"

Lin Yuan performed a disciple's salute and respectfully said, "Thanks to Elder Huo's guidance!"

He also nodded at Lu Mu, who looked astonished.

Elder Huo waved his hand and sighed, "My guidance is secondary; it's your own hard work. Your talent in soul and alchemy is the best I've seen among young people in my lifetime. In the future, you might bring the Alchemy Department of Jia Nan Academy to unimaginable heights!"

Looking at Lin Yuan, Elder Huo's gaze was slightly complex. He had once considered formally accepting this exceptionally talented youth as his disciple but later gave up. Even if he took this disciple, as a fifth-grade alchemist, he wouldn't be able to teach him for long. Alchemists place great importance on inheritance, and taking him as a disciple would create unnecessary obstacles for Lin Yuan when seeking other masters in the future.

Lin Yuan remained silent after hearing this. He understood some of Elder Huo's thoughts; the unique title of "Huo Shi" shows the gratitude he feels, and there's no need for excessive words of thanks. He would repay this kindness with actions in the future.

Lin Yuan handed the note in his hand to Elder Huo, saying, "I have considered combining the Pill Fire Technique of our Alchemy Department with Dou Techniques, improving the Pill Fire Technique. This way, it can enhance the power of the Pill Fire Technique and allow learners to refine their Dou Qi and Dou Techniques while practicing fire control. I've made some small progress recently, and this is my related insights and techniques."

Elder Huo, upon hearing this, was slightly surprised. He took the note and began to read it carefully while pondering. A quarter of an hour later, Elder Huo closed the note and said seriously, "Although there are some flaws, your practice this time is very meaningful for our Alchemy Department. It is a direction we can delve into further research. Very good! You must be rewarded. Lin boy, what do you want?"

Lin Yuan, upon hearing this, was not polite and said, "Thank you for your recognition, Elder Huo! I plan to travel for a while and currently lack a secret technique to conceal my cultivation. Do you have any leads, Elder Huo?"

Elder Huo, upon hearing this, patted Lin Yuan's shoulder and smiled, "You understand well, young man. At such a young age, you already know the importance of being low-key and not revealing wealth. You're lucky; while others may not have it, I happen to have what you need. Here!"

Saying this, Elder Huo took out a scroll from his storage ring and handed it to Lin Yuan. "This secret technique allows you to conceal two levels of cultivation before reaching Dou Zong, making others see a Great Fighter as a Fighter and a Dou Wang as a Great Fighter. It should last you a long time. Of course, it won't work against those whose soul realm far exceeds yours."

Lin Yuan took the scroll and focused on it, noticing three small characters written on the edge: Hidden Abyss Technique. He then thanked Elder Huo, "Thank you, Elder Huo."

Elder Huo smiled and said, "This is what you deserve."

After chatting with Elder Huo for a while and asking a few questions about cultivation and alchemy, Lin Yuan performed a bow and turned to leave.

After Lin Yuan left, Elder Huo looked at Lu Mu, who had returned to his usual lazy demeanor, and immediately felt a surge of anger. He scolded, "Lu Mu, you lazy brat! Lin Yuan is younger than you and has accomplished so much. You're still so laid-back; it's infuriating! If you can't learn the Pill Fire Technique within a month, I'll skin you alive!"

Seeing Lu Mu's lazy expression turn into one of bitterness, Elder Huo then opened the note with a smile and summoned a ball of red flame to begin his experiments.

(End of Chapter)